A ‘beginner’s guide’ for dual-career academic STEMM couples: Job search and negotiations
Source: [1]
The first step for most dual-career academic STEMM couples is to find and negotiate two faculty positions. Here, we focus on this step at institutions in the US and Europe.
By Patricia A. Maurice and Janet G. Hering
28 April 2026, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19705581
Dual-career couples in academia can face special challenges, one of the biggest of which is either to find and sustain two (often highly competitive) positions in geographic proximity or to struggle with the expenses and potential relationship stresses of living apart. Nonetheless, dual-career couples can also offer opportunities for universities to increase diversity or to build a “power-couple” in which the twosome becomes more than the sum of the individual partners because of complementary strengths and greater institutional knowledge [2]. As stated in a 2015 policy recommendation from the ETH Women Professors Forum (WPF, [3]), “The opportunities associated with dual career couples should be recognized. Although these cases present challenges, effective handling of dual career cases can be a powerful recruitment tool” [4].
Dual-career academic couples are common and cannot be ignored. Indeed, a 2008 report found that in the US, 36% of full-time faculty from 13 leading research universities had an academic partner [5]. A 2024 study pointed out that this percentage likely would have been higher “if trained and credentialed academics serving as adjuncts, lecturers, visiting professors, or staff” had also been accounted for [6]. The study authors further argued that, in the US, “adjunctification of faculty has accelerated in the intervening years such that now more than 70% of instructor positions in higher education are “fixed-term” or contingent.” Further, “The increasing precarity of academics exacerbates existing challenges of academic couples trying to secure meaningful positions together” or to plan for the future in an uncertain environment [6]. In Europe, recognition of the growing number of dual career couples and the need for institutions to provide them with support services is more recent than in the US [7]. The issue, however, is of comparable magnitude in Europe and is exacerbated by European funding instruments that promote geographical mobility, partly in the interest of European integration. In contrast to universities in the US, European universities are less likely to fill or create a position within the same university and tend to focus on helping partners integrate into a new culture so that they can find jobs elsewhere [8].
This post is the first of a planned series addressing key issues related to dual-career faculty couples in STEMM in academia. Here, we focus specifically on the faculty job search and negotiation process primarily from the perspective of the couple.
Patricia’s personal experience as a dual-career academic
I (Patricia) met my husband almost 35 years ago when I was an Assistant Professor at Kent State University in Ohio. At the time, he was a tenured Associate Professor in another department. A few years after we married, I attained tenure and promotion. Soon afterwards, I was invited to present several lectures at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and realized that I was being recruited for an un-advertised tenured faculty position there. Given the circumstances, when I was asked whether I had any family situations the university might need to consider, I shared my husband’s excellent CV (with his permission). After he also visited, we both accepted faculty positions in the college. The process was reasonably straightforward and simple for us, with the university investing heavily to move our household and laboratories and to provide competitive salaries. My husband made the process easier by being flexible; he knew he was marketable with a long history of success in both academic and industrial computer science/IT positions. He encountered a few issues as a ‘trailing spouse,’ although he quickly overcame this through excellence and humility.
Admittedly, we had a relatively easy path to dual-career faculty positions at both Kent and Notre Dame. Although we both worked hard to build strong resumes in high-demand fields, I’m not sure we would have managed as easily in today’s tighter and more restrictive job markets in the US.
Janet’s experience in hiring dual-career academic couples
As the Director of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), I (Janet) was responsible for several hiring decisions that involved dual-career couples. While the first case was handled ad hoc, the Eawag Directorate later articulated some principles to guide such processes. A key issue is to acknowledge that there is often some fundamental aspect of unfairness in dual career hires. It is, therefore, necessary to be able to identify and articulate the benefit to the institution of the dual career hire and not to make compromises on quality. As we discuss below, both partners must be able to demonstrate their excellence and their value to the institution. Furthermore, the leadership of the institution needs to support the integration of both partners and to be sensitive and responsive to problems or conflicts that may arise after the initial hiring. An object lesson in the importance of such continued vigilance is provided by the failures at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich in which hostility and resentment toward a dual career couple was a contributing factor in the first (and still only) dismissal of a tenured faculty member in over 160 years [9, 10].
The various paths to dual-career positions
There are a wide variety of paths that dual-career couples may take to obtain positions at the same university. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
Independent hires. Each partner is hired independently, completely on their own merits. During the hiring and negotiation process, the university might guess they are partners, even if not explicitly discussed. This approach has the distinct advantage that there is no ‘trailing spouse’ and both partners fit into pre-defined positions. Independent hiring can also occur asynchronously, when one member of the couple is already employed as a faculty member and the other applies for an open position at the same university without disclosing the relationship.
Dual career hire in the interview or negotiation process. The university seeks to hire one partner and as part of the interview or negotiations the administration is made aware of and considers hiring the other partner — in this case, the second person is often considered the ‘trailing spouse.’ The university may open a special position for the ‘trailing spouse.’ This could be a typical faculty position or a special position that is solely teaching-, research-, or administration-focused, either full- or part-time.
Intentional hiring of a dual-career couple. The university recognizes and perhaps even recruits the faculty specifically as a couple. Even if both partners have strong CVs, and they were recruited together, one partner may be considered the ‘trailing spouse’ depending on priorities.
Shared faculty position. The partners apply for a position as a couple and agree to share a single faculty slot. This option is sometimes used when a couple specifically wants more time for other endeavors such as raising a family or running a business. Unfortunately, this approach can run the risk of each working full-time but only being paid half-time.
Retention. In this case, one partner is already employed as a faculty member at the university and negotiates for the hiring of the other partner as part of a retention package. Unfortunately, this can also result in ‘trailing spouse’ stigma.
A university may also help the partner of a faculty member obtain a position at a nearby institution, especially if the institutions are related (e.g., different branches of a state campus or historical ‘sister colleges.’). This is more common in the US than in Europe, where branch campuses are rare and professorships are often provided with continuing financial resources (i.e., beyond ‘start-up’ funds).
Some words of advice
The most important factor for finding, negotiating and managing dual-career positions is for each partner in a dual-career academic couple to be individually strong and marketable in their own discipline. Publishing, bringing in substantial grants, demonstrating leadership, and being collegial are all important, not only for obtaining a position but for maintaining it long term. If one partner becomes unfulfilled or is not retained, both partners will be in a much better position to move if each has maintained their marketability. Admittedly, it is easier to manage dual academic careers if both partners are in high-demand, growing (sub)disciplines with more potential job openings.
It’s important that each partner knows their strengths and worth and is prepared to explain how a dual career hire can benefit the university. Preparatory research is needed to gain insight into what each partner can bring individually and as a couple to the specific university.
Research and due diligence are always worth the effort. Do an online search of whether the academic institution has formal, written policies about dual-career couples and know what they are — or at least what they are supposed to be. Understand that the policies and viewpoints of a state, private, and/or religiously-affiliated university may be quite different, as may policies in different states, provinces, or nations. In the US, policies and opinions have been changing rapidly, which must be extremely stressful for job applicants. Know whether there are other faculty job openings currently advertised at the institution, or at nearby institutions. Enter any job search or negotiations from a position of as much knowledge as possible.
One of the biggest considerations for the job seeker is when and how to bring up their partner. Early disclosure can help the hiring institution to identify opportunities to support the dual career couple but can also disadvantage the applicant if the dual career situation is perceived as potentially delaying or derailing the hiring process. The existence of formal policies to support dual career hiring at a university can be an indication that disclosure at – or soon after – the interview stage would not be excessively risky. An on-site interview can also be an opportunity to find out if the hiring department or institution has previous experience (either positive or negative) with dual career hires. In the absence of a signal that the institution is willing to support dual career hires, candidates might prefer to wait until they have at least a verbal offer before introducing their partner. It should also be recognized that budgets have been tightening recently, which leaves less leeway, for example, to open a new ‘target of opportunity’ position. If your relationship with another academic is likely to be discovered, you might need to bring it up so that the interviewers do not make assumptions, for example, about your willingness to live apart (or not).
For non-heterosexual couples, raising the issue of the partner may also mean ‘coming out.’ Finding other couples who have gone through the process to serve as mentors can be particularly helpful.
Other problematic issues can include salaries and supervisory roles. In some more traditional, male-dominated universities, the administration might be reluctant to pay a woman more than her male partner. Hiring of both partners in the same department or other institutional unit (if allowed) can raise issues as universities do not usually allow one partner to be in a supervisory position over the other. This needs to be considered when being hired or considering taking on an administrative or leadership position. Dealing with all such issues calls for patience, flexibility and perhaps even some creativity on the part of both the partners being hired and their new colleagues.
Honest and open communication between the partners is key to navigating the job search, negotiations and career development for a dual-career couple in STEMM successfully. It can strain a relationship for one partner to allow the other to pursue a potential position without revealing how willing they would be to move there. If you have children, you might need to take into consideration factors such as school systems, potential for childcare, and whether the child will be torn away from established friendships or extended family.
Finally, each partner should always be aware that anything they say or do can affect their partner’s professional opportunities and trajectory. One person cannot and should not negotiate for the other, or for the couple, without express permission and agreement. Moreover, if you create problems specifically because you are a dual-career couple (e.g., by showing favoritism to your partner in professional situations), you may be impacting future opportunities for dual-career couples.
Questions for further consideration
• Are you a partner in a dual-career academic couple? If so, how have you navigated job search and negotiations and what has/has not been successful?
• Have you observed other dual-career couples who have been successful? What have you learned from your observations?
• Would you be willing to share your experiences or observations with others? Please reach out to us at epistimiblog@gmail.com if you would consider contributing a post to this blog series.
References and Notes
[1] Figure created by P. Maurice using Drawthings stable diffusion, transformed using Clip2comic and pages.
[2] Martin, K. and Hwa, J. (2022) “We’re scientist spouses with five couples in our labs. Here’s what we’ve learned about working together” Science, https://www.science.org/content/article/scientist-spouses-five-couples-labs-heres-weve-learned-working-together, (Accessed Dec. 6, 2025).
[3] ETH Women Professors Forum, https://eth-wpf.ch/ (Accessed April 8, 2026).
[4] ETH Women Professors Forum (2015) “Some recommendations from the ETH WPF for improving the rate of acceptance of offers for faculty positions”, https://eth-wpf.ch/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/d_eth-wpf_recs_acceptance_offers_2015.pdf (Accessed April 8, 2026).
[5] Schiebinger, L., Davies Henderson, A. and Gilmartin, S.K. (2008) “Dual-Career Academic Couples: What Universities Need to Know” https://gender.stanford.edu/publications/dual-career-academic-couples-what-universities-need-know (Accessed Dec. 4, 2025).
[6] Monihan, T., Waltz, M., Parker, A., and Fisher, J.A. (2024) A review of the institutional landscape for dual-career hiring in higher education. Discover Education. 3:34. Online publication 6 April 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00118-6
[7] Tzanakou, C. (2017) “Dual career couples in academia, international mobility and dual career services in Europe”. European Educational Research Journal, 16(2-3), 298-312, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1474904116683185 (open access)
[8] Pain, E. (2014) “Dual-Career Couples at ESOF” Science, https://www.science.org/content/article/dual-career-couples-esof (Accessed April 8, 2026).
[9] Hering, J.G. (2019) “Learning for Leadership”, ETH Zukunfstblog, https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2019/03/blog-janet-hering-leadership.html, (Accessed April 8, 2026).